Chilli and Cheese Food and Society in Bhutan

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Kunzang Choden was born in 1952 in central Bhutan. She has written on folklore, oral tradition and other subjects on Bhutan. Her latest work is the novel, "The Circle of Karma'.(Zubaan/Penguin, India).

Chilli and Cheese: Food and Society in Bhutan is a pioneering book offer-ing insight into Bhutanese food culture within its historical and geographical context, as well as looking at food-related beliefs and practices. The book discusses the changing socio-cultural meanings of food in Bhutan. Kunzang Choden from her perspective as a privileged member of the gentry in a feudal society in the 1950s, shares her perceptions, observations and experiences. She highlights the importance of food as a socio-economic signifier and shows how food has meaning beyond nourishment, particularly, in its symbolic forms in religion and ritual. The author explores regional agricultural and herding practices, the use of wild plants and the resulting food customs and habits. This informative but also deeply personal book includes simple and easy to follow recipes of some typical dishes. An invitation for readers to try out the taste of Bhutanese foods. Colour and black and white photographs make the narratives come alive with vivid depictions of Bhutanese food and society.

Location, Topography and Climate The Kingdom of Bhutan is situated in the eastern Himalayas, and covers an area of 38'394 square kilometres (National Statistical Bureau 2005). The landlocked country is bounded to the north and northwest by Tibet and to the south by the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. Positioned in the world's highest and most active mountain range, Bhutan is one of the most rugged countries in the world. It is made up of a series of steep and precipitous slopes that descend dramatically into rocky gorges and narrow ravines. Altitudes range from a few hundred meten in the subtropical areas bordering the Indian plains in the south to the permanently snow-covered peaks in the north. The climate is dominated by the monsoons that bring rain from the Bay of Bengal during the summer months. Most of the rais falls on the southern foothills, which receive 3-5 m of precipitation in a year, while inner valleys in the rain shadow receive only 0.6 to 1 m. The extremes in altitude and rainfall result in a diversity of climates and a remarkably rich flora and fauna. People of Bhutan Taken together, the people of Bhutan are known as Drukpa or the inhabitants of the land called Druk Yul (Country of the Dragon). Ethnically the population is diverse as is evidenced by the fact that the small population of 0.7 million has nineteen different languages (Van Driem 2004). Most of the population is of Mongoloid stock and speaks languages believed to belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. Today the country is divided into twenty dzongkhag or districts (see map). These divisions are based on historical and geographical criteria. In the past the Black Mountain range, a spur of the Himalayas that runs from north to south was used as a geographical landmark to divide the country into East and West Bhutan. Based on this concept. the people west of the Pele La Pass crossing the range at 3300m were referred to as Ngalong, which means "first risen." The name is said to be attributed to the fact that the people of these regions were the first to be converted to Buddhism: "It seems likely that they (people of these regions) migrated from Tibet in different waves. perhaps from the 6th and 7th century onwards" (Pommaret 1997a: 47). The common language spoken in these regions is the national language Dzongkha, which belongs to a branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. The regions immediately east of the Black Mountain range, Central Bhutan, were a geographical and linguistic entity (Districts of Trongsa, Bumthang and Zhemgang). Variations of Bumthangkha or the language of Bumthang is also spoken as Kurtopikha in Lhuenste District and as Khengkha in Zhemgang District. Linguists have deter-mined that Bumthangkha is related to the Tibetan language although not a Tibetan dialect. The remaining areas of eastern Bhutan comprise the present-day districts of Mongar, Trashigang, Trashiyangtse, Pemagathsel, Lhuentse and Samdrup Jongkhar. The people of these districts are generally referred to as Sharchogpa (Easterners). Historians have thus far not found any reference to the dates and origins of their migration to Bhutan. Although there are some variations, the language spoken is Tsangla or Scharchogpakha. The language is said to be a branch of the Bodic division of the Tibeto-Burman family. The northern regions which border with Tibet are inhabited by the pastoralists who depend on grasslands stretching up to the permanent snowline. These diverse groups of pastoralists including the people of Lingshi, Laya, Lunana, Merak and Sakteng have their own cultural and linguistic characteristics. The term Brokpa (People of the Pasture) is generally used for them. Until recently the southern foothills were only sparsely inhabited by groups believed to be the indigenous people of Bhutan, such as the Lhop (or southerners), the Taba Dramtop and Doya. It was only from the beginning of the 20th century that different groups of people from Nepal and the bordering areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling (West Bengal) settled in these regions, and are today referred to as Lhotshampa (People of the Southern Borders). From east to west the southern belt includes the dzongkhag of Samdrup Jongkhar, Sarpang, Tsirang, Dagna, Chhukha, and Samtse. The people of these areas are of Nepali descent and partly belong to the Indo-Aryan group and speak Indo-European languages. Agriculture and Food Production a reg raphic riatio ikha dele Tibet rictse gkha the poker Bhutan was traditionally a society of herders and farmers and had no urban centres right into the mid-20th century. Agriculture was mostly for subsistence. Today agriculture is the most important economic sector providing employment for 63% of the labour force and generates 24% of the GDP (National Statistical Bureau 2005). Due to the extreme topography just a small proportion of the land area is suitable for agriculture and only 6% of the total area of Bhutan is used for cultivation. Of the remaining area, 72% is covered with forests. There is hardly any information available on the agricultural practices of the past. The wide range in altitude and rainfall offers a diversity of production environ-ments, some of which are marginal due to high elevation, steep slopes, poor soils or absence of water. Bhutanese farmers and herders have devised production methods adapted to such conditions providing the base for the society to thrive in the often hostile mountain environment. Altitude is a major barrier for crop cultivation. For example, banana may grow up to elevations of 1200m; the upper elevation limit is 2600m for rice, 3000m for maize, 4000m for barley, buckwheat, radish and turnip and 4300m for potato. The yak production system uses grasslands bordering the permanent snow line at 5000m. Yak herders may have permanent homes near the winter grazing areas at elevations of 3500-4000.